1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to organic waste disposal. More particularly, though not exclusively, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for burning organic material including farm bedding waste.
2. Problems in the Art
A significant problem exists in the livestock field with the removal and disposal of animal manure and bedding. For example, a farmer or horse trainer will typically bed a livestock stall by periodically spreading 6-8 inches of bedding material over the floor of the stall. The bedding and animal waste is then periodically removed from the stall and piled outside of the barn. The cost of animal waste and bedding removal and disposal is significant. For example, at the three week All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio, approximately 2.7 million cubic feet of manure must be removed and disposed of each year. This results in a cost of over $200,000.00 per year to dispose of the waste. Both small and large operations experience the same problems with waste removal and disposal.
The most common prior art method of disposing of animal waste is by spreading the manure over a field. Spreading manure over a field has several disadvantages. First, the hauling costs and time required are high. Also, the manure increases the acidity of the soil in the field. Other problems in the field can occur from weed seeds in the manure. Weed seeds from either the animal bedding or feed will be present in manure and will contaminate the field with unwanted weeds. Finally, the manure will host a number of unwanted parasites and disease carrying bacteria which can harm farm animals or cause farm animals to get diseases such as sleeping sickness, for example.
It is also becoming more common to dispose of animal waste at local landfills which are already near their capacities.
There are systems for burning organic animal waste to dispose of such waste. The most common is simply burning a pile of waste. Since animal bedding waste burns like a silage fire, the pile of manure will burn slowly and will smolder for months. Also, a pile of animal waste will burn at a relatively low heat which causes undesirable odors. Burning this waste material in a fireplace or furnace also has undesirable results. First, the waste must be dry before it will burn in a fireplace or furnace. Second, when the waste does burn, it does so slowly and inefficiently.
Another problem found in the livestock field is the high expense of heating farm buildings such as horse barns or indoor arenas used for training horses. If a farmer needs to heat a farm building the cost is quite high using conventional furnaces or heating methods. In addition, these furnaces or methods usually burn fossil fuels or use electricity which is generated using primarily fossil fuels. Burning fossil fuels is expensive and pollutes the air. For example, to heat a typical 15 stall horse barn located in the Midwest may cost the farmer $1,500 or more per year. A typical prior art wood or coal burning furnace for heating a farm building is also expensive and complex. A typical wood burning furnace will have a fire box encasing the fuel to be burned. Since the walls of the wood burning furnace are directly exposed to the burning fuel, the structure of the furnace must withstand this extreme heat. Also, the outer walls of the furnace will become extremely hot which creates a hazardous situation for people and animals working near the furnace, especially children.
It can therefore be seen that there is a need for an effective way to dispose of organic farm bedding waste and also for a more effective and more economical method of heating a farm building.